Water resistant protective case for portable electronic device

ABSTRACT

A water resistant device case includes a front and back assembly that mate to enclose an electronic device. The front assembly includes a rigid front frame, a touch screen cover bonded to the front frame, an inner bumper attached to the rigid front frame and an elastomeric main seal attached around a periphery of the rigid front frame. The back assembly includes a rigid back frame, an elastomeric over mold formed on an exterior of the back frame and an inner bumper attached to the rigid back frame. A snap tab attached to the rigid back frame mates with a snap hook on the front assembly to hold the front and back assemblies together when the device is enclosed within the case. A main water resistant seal is formed around a perimeter of the front and back assemblies by the elastomeric main seal on the front assembly being held against an inner surface of the rigid back frame. A secondary water resistant seal is formed around a perimeter of the front and back assemblies by an elastomeric secondary sealing member attached around a periphery of the rigid front frame that mates with an exterior surface of the back assembly to form a secondary water resistant seal. A closed cell foam is used to seal apertures associated with the device&#39;s audio inputs and outputs.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/605,655, filed May 25, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 14/720,476, filed May 22, 2015, which claimsbenefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) from U.S. Provisional Application No.62/001,638, filed on May 22, 2014. The above applications are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entirety and are to beconsidered as a part of this specification.

BACKGROUND

A wide variety of protective device cases have been invented thatprovide various levels of protection and water resistance for theenclosed device. One problem with prior art cases is that the moredurable, water resistant and protective the case is, the more difficultit is to access the enclosed device. In addition, many device cases makeit difficult to access the various controls and features of the deviceor fail to adequately protect the controls of the device. These problemsare magnified for small touch screen devices that are very sensitive,have a limited display area and may require cleaning. Therefore, what isneeded is an improved device case that provides a high degree ofprotection and water resistance while allowing easy access to the screenand controls of the enclosed device.

SUMMARY

An embodiment of the present invention is directed toward a waterresistant device case adapted to enclose a portable electronic device.The device case includes a front assembly constructed from a rigidplastic front frame. A touch screen cover is bonded to the rigid plasticfront frame that allows a touch screen of the portable electronic deviceto be used when the portable electronic device is enclosed within thedevice case. An elastomeric inner bumper is attached to the rigidplastic front frame to provide padding for the enclosed device. Anelastomeric main seal is attached around a periphery of the rigidplastic front frame. A front assembly fastener, preferably a snap hook,is attached to the rigid plastic front frame.

The front assembly mates with a back assembly. The back assemblyincludes a rigid plastic back frame. An elastomeric over mold is formedon an exterior of the rigid plastic back frame and an elastomeric innerbumper is attached to an interior surface of the rigid plastic backframe. A back assembly fastener, preferably a snap tab, attached to therigid plastic back frame mates with the front assembly fastener to holdthe front assembly and the back assembly together when the portableelectronic device is enclosed within the device case.

A main seal is formed around a perimeter of the front and back assemblyby the elastomeric main seal on the front assembly being held against aninner surface of the rigid plastic back frame by the fastening memberson the front and back assemblies. A secondary seal is formed around aperimeter of the front and back assembly by the front assembly beingheld against the back assembly by the fastening members on the front andback assemblies. The secondary seal can be formed by an elastomericsecondary sealing member attached around a periphery of the rigidplastic front frame that mates with an exterior surface of the backassembly to form the secondary seal. Alternatively, the secondary sealcan be formed between a surface of the rigid plastic front frame and asealing protrusion positioned on a portion of the elastomeric over moldthat extends over an upper edge of the rigid plastic back frame.

The front and back assemblies include apertures corresponding to theaudio inputs and outputs of the electronic device that are covered andsealed by a closed cell foam. The front assembly and back assembly alsoinclude apertures corresponding to a port of the portable electronicdevice and a removable elastomeric port cover that removably covers theapertures. The removable elastomeric port cover includes an attachmentprotrusion that creates a compression fit between the elastomeric coverand an exterior of the device case that seals the port apertures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a device case constructed in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A-2C are respectively illustrations of the seal of the devicecase of FIG. 1 in the opened, closing and closed positions.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an alternative secondary seal constructionin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of closed cell foam film seals for a devicecase constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of an elastomeric bottom cover for a devicecase constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is directed toward a water resistant protectivecase for enclosing an electronic device. The case includes a front ortop assembly having a transparent, conductive screen film that covers,and allows a user to operate, the touch screen of the enclosedelectronic device. The front assembly includes, among other things, ahard plastic polycarbonate frame that encloses the screen film. Therigid plastic frame extends in a direction generally perpendicular tothe surface of the screen film to form a wall around the periphery ofthe front assembly. The screen film and wall include apertures withseals which correspond to, and provide access to, components andcontrols of the enclosed electronic device. The seals are preferablymade from a soft elastomeric material such as rubber, and include buttonportions that allow the operation of corresponding buttons on theelectronic device enclosed within the case.

Apertures corresponding to, e.g., an earpiece, speaker, microphone, andhome button of an enclosed electronic device are provided in the frontassembly. Each aperture is closed with a corresponding film, preferablya closed cell foam, that is bonded to the inside of the front assemblythat faces the enclosed electronic device.

The front assembly mates with a back or bottom assembly to enclose theelectronic device. The bottom assembly includes a hard plasticpolycarbonate frame which is partially encased by a soft rubber overmold and/or rubber layer. The bottom assembly also includes a bottomsurface and curved sidewalls that extend from the bottom surface.Various portions of the bottom assembly are covered by a soft rubbermaterial.

The front assembly is joined to the bottom assembly by fasteners, suchas by engagement one or more snap hooks with corresponding snap tabs onthe bottom assembly, to enclose the device. Water resistance is providedby both a main seal and a secondary seal formed between sealing memberson the front and back assemblies as discussed in more detail below.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an illustration of a device case constructed inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown.Although a case for a particular device is shown, those skilled in theart will appreciate that the present invention can readily be adaptedfor a wide variety of different devices. The device case 2 has twoprimary components, a front cover 4 and a back cover 6.

The front cover 4 includes a screen film 8 that covers the devicetouchscreen and allows the touchscreen to be used while the device isenclosed within the case 2. The screen film 8 is mounted on a relativelyhard and rigid plastic base 10, preferably constructed from a rigidpolycarbonate plastic. An elastomeric bottom cover 12, elastomeric innerbumper 14, main elastomeric sealing member 15 and secondary elastomericsealing member 16 are also mounted on the polycarbonate plastic base 10of the top cover 4.

The back cover 6 also includes a relatively hard and rigid polycarbonateplastic base 18. The back cover base 18 has an elastomeric outer surface20 created from a rubber over mold and an elastomeric inner surface 21.The elastomeric components provide padding and shock absorption for theenclosed device while the polycarbonate components improve the rigidityand strength of the case.

Water resistance is provided by both the main seal 15 and the secondaryseal 16. Referring now to FIGS. 2A-2C, illustrations of the seal of thecase of FIG. 1 in the opened (FIG. 2A), closing (FIG. 2B) and closed(FIG. 2C) positions are shown. The main seal is formed through thecompression of the main sealing member 15 against the rigidpolycarbonate base 18 of the back cover 6. The secondary seal is formedthrough the interaction of the elastomeric secondary sealing member 16and a corresponding depression 24 in the upper edge of the polycarbonatebase 18 which form a water resistant seal around the periphery of thefront and back covers.

The case is closed by pressing on the base 10 of the front cover 4 toinsert the front cover 4 over the device and into the cavity of the backcover 6 as shown in FIG. 2B. Once the front cover 4 is fully insertedinto the back cover 6 as shown in FIG. 2C, the elastomeric main andsecondary sealing members 15, 16 of the front cover 4 are engaged withthe rigid polycarbonate base 18 of the back cover to form a pair ofwater resistant seals around the perimeter of the device case.

An alternative main and secondary seal arrangement for a device caseconstructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention isshown in FIG. 3. In the embodiment shown, the front assembly 50 has asoft, elastomeric compression main or primary seal 52 at or near thebottom of the side walls 54 which extends from the plastic frame 56 ofthe front assembly for engagement with the inner bottom surface 58 ofthe bottom assembly 60. When the front and bottom assemblies 50, 60engage, the compression seal 52 is compressed against the hard plasticbottom frame 62 to form a primary water resistant seal. A secondaryswipe seal 64 is formed at the top of the plastic bottom frame 62between the bottom rubber over mold 66 and front rigid frame 56. Thebottom over mold 66 extends inward over the rigid plastic bottom frame62 and has a vertical protrusion 70 formed thereon. When assembled, thevertical protrusion 70 contacts a flanged inner surface 72 of the frontrigid frame 68 to form the swipe seal 64.

The primary and secondary seals 52, 64 are formed upon closing andlocking the case. This is accomplished by frictional engagement of thesnap hooks 80 on the front assembly with corresponding snap tabs 82 onthe bottom assembly. The snap hooks 80 and snap tabs 82 are shaped toforce the plastic bottom frame 62, including the snap tabs 82, initiallyoutward as the front and bottom assemblies 50, 60 are joined and thesnap hooks 80 and snap tabs 82 come into contact. As this occurs, theswipe seal 64 commensurately flexes outward with the plastic bottomframe 62. As the front and bottom assemblies 50, 60 continue closingtogether, the snap hooks 80 from the front assembly pass to a positionbelow the snap tabs 82, allowing the plastic bottom frame 62, snap tabs82, and swipe seal 64 to return to their original position.

Referring now to FIG. 4, an illustration of the apertures and protectivecovers of the front assembly 91 of a device case constructed inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention are shown. Asshown in the figure, apertures corresponding to, e.g., an earpiece 90,speaker 92, microphone 94 and home button 96 of an enclosed electronicdevice are provided in the front assembly 91. Corresponding apertures,not shown, are found on the back assembly so that access to thecomponents of the device can be made through the exterior of the casewhen the front assembly 91 is mated to the back assembly. Each aperture90, 92, 94, 96 on the front assembly 91 is closed with a correspondinglyshaped film that is bonded to the inside of the front assembly 98 thatfaces the enclosed electronic device. The film covering the audioapertures 90, 92, 94 is preferably a closed cell foam that allows soundto readily pass through the film while providing water resistance.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a removable elastomeric cover 100 for thecharging and data cable attachment ports of the enclosed device isshown. Apertures 102 are provided through the case assembly 108 suchthat the ports of the device are exposed. The removable elastomericcover 100 has plugs 110 that fit into the apertures 102 when the cover100 is attached to the case assembly 108. A protrusion 104 on the coveris adapted to be inserted into a corresponding slot 106 in the caseassembly 108 to removably secure the cover 100 to the case assembly. Theprotrusion 104 is shaped such that the elastomeric cover 100 iscompressed against the case assembly 108 when the cover 100 is attachedto the case assembly 108 thereby sealing the apertures 102 in a waterresistant manner.

Although there have been described particular embodiments of the presentinvention of a new and useful water resistant protective device case, itis not intended that such references be construed as limitations uponthe scope of this invention except as set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A water resistant protective case configured toenclose a portable electronic device, the protective case comprising: afront assembly comprising a rigid front frame having an external facingtop surface and an opposing bottom end, a touch screen cover bonded tothe rigid front frame, an elastomeric main seal attached around aperiphery at the bottom end of the rigid front frame, and a frontassembly fastener attached to the rigid front frame; and a back assemblycomprising a rigid back frame, an elastomeric over mold formed on anexterior of the rigid back frame, and a back assembly fastener attachedto the rigid back frame that mates with the front assembly fastener tohold the front assembly and the back assembly together, wherein a mainseal is formed around a perimeter of the front and back assemblies bythe elastomeric main seal on the front assembly being held against aninner surface of the rigid back frame, and wherein a secondary seal isformed around a perimeter of the front and back assemblies by the frontassembly fastener and the back assembly fastener by the front assemblybeing held against the back assembly.
 2. The water resistant protectivecase of claim 1, wherein the front assembly further comprises anelastomeric secondary sealing member attached around a periphery of therigid front frame that mates with an exterior surface of the backassembly to form the secondary seal.
 3. The water resistant protectivecase of claim 1, wherein the secondary seal is formed between a surfaceof the rigid front frame and the elastomeric over mold on the rigid backframe.
 4. The water resistant protective case of claim 1, wherein theelastomeric over mold extends over an upper edge of the rigid back frameand has a sealing protrusion positioned on the upper edge of the rigidback frame.
 5. The water resistant protective case of claim 1, whereinthe back assembly fastener further comprises a back assembly snap taband the front assembly fastener further comprises a front assembly snaphook that snaps over the back assembly snap tab to hold the frontassembly and the back assembly together.
 6. The water resistantprotective case of claim 1, wherein the front assembly and the backassembly further comprise apertures corresponding to audio inputs andoutputs of the electronic device and the apertures are covered andsealed by a closed cell foam.
 7. The water resistant protective case ofclaim 1, wherein the front assembly and the back assembly furthercomprise apertures corresponding to a port of the portable electronicdevice and the protective case further comprises a removable elastomericport cover that removably covers the apertures, and wherein theremovable elastomeric port cover further comprises an attachmentprotrusion that creates a compression fit between the removableelastomeric port cover and an exterior of the protective case.
 8. Thewater resistant protective case of claim 1, wherein the rigid frontframe of the front assembly is a rigid plastic front frame, and whereinthe rigid back frame of the back assembly is a rigid plastic back frame.9. The water resistant protective case of claim 1 further comprising anelastomeric inner bumper attached to the rigid front frame.
 10. Thewater resistant protective case of claim 1 further comprising anelastomeric inner bumper attached to the rigid back frame.
 11. A waterresistant protective case adapted to enclose a portable electronicdevice, the protective case comprising: a front assembly comprising arigid front frame having a T-shaped cross-section with a horizontal barand a vertical bar when taken perpendicularly to the longitudinaldirection of the frame, a touch screen cover bonded to the rigid frontframe, an elastomeric main seal attached around a periphery at thebottom of the vertical bar of the T-shaped rigid front frame, and afront assembly fastener attached to the rigid front frame; and a backassembly comprising a rigid back frame, an elastomeric over mold formedon an exterior of the rigid back frame, and a back assembly fastenerattached to the rigid back frame that mates with the front assemblyfastener to hold the front assembly and the back assembly together,wherein a main seal is formed around a perimeter of the front and backassemblies by the elastomeric main seal on the front assembly being heldagainst an inner surface of the rigid back frame, and wherein asecondary seal is formed around a perimeter of the front and backassemblies by the front assembly fastener and the back assembly fastenerby the front assembly being held against the back assembly.
 12. Thewater resistant protective case of claim 11, wherein the front assemblyfurther comprises an elastomeric secondary sealing member attachedaround a periphery of the rigid front frame that mates with an exteriorsurface of the back assembly to form the secondary seal.
 13. The waterresistant protective case of claim 11, wherein the secondary seal isformed between a surface of the rigid front frame and the elastomericover mold on the rigid back frame.
 14. The water resistant protectivecase of claim 11, wherein the elastomeric over mold extends over anupper edge of the rigid back frame and has a sealing protrusionpositioned on the upper edge of the rigid back frame.
 15. The waterresistant protective case of claim 11, wherein the back assemblyfastener further comprises a back assembly snap tab and the frontassembly fastener further comprises a front assembly snap hook thatsnaps over the back assembly snap tab to hold the front assembly and theback assembly together.
 16. The water resistant protective case of claim11, wherein the front assembly and the back assembly further compriseapertures corresponding to audio inputs and outputs of the electronicdevice and the apertures are covered and sealed by a closed cell foam.17. The water resistant protective case of claim 11, wherein the frontassembly and the back assembly further comprise apertures correspondingto a port of the portable electronic device and the protective casefurther comprises a removable elastomeric port cover that removablycovers the apertures, and wherein the removable elastomeric port coverfurther comprises an attachment protrusion that creates a compressionfit between the removable elastomeric port cover and an exterior of theprotective case.
 18. The water resistant protective case of claim 11,wherein the rigid front frame of the front assembly is a rigid plasticfront frame, and wherein the rigid back frame of the back assembly is arigid plastic back frame.
 19. The water resistant protective case ofclaim 11 further comprising an elastomeric inner bumper attached to therigid front frame.
 20. The water resistant protective case of claim 11further comprising an elastomeric inner bumper attached to the rigidback frame.